THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,454 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,454 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 6/28/2021

Canes, Rays cream of Iowa's crop

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Canes Midwest (Perfect Game)

MARION, Iowa – Champions were crowned Monday at the Perfect Game WWBA 16u North Championship and the PG WWBA 15u Midwest Elite Championship, with quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games all played at the Prospect Meadows Sports Complex.

Canes Midwest completes 8-game sweep to claim 15u MW Elite title



When Canes Midwest head coach Rick Stiner first spoke with PG on opening day at the WWBA 15u Midwest Elite Championship last Friday, this is what the veteran coach had to say:

“We do have expectations; one of our sayings is, ‘We’re in it to win it.’ So we’ve got to manage our staff, manage the team and provide [the players] opportunities to put them in the best situation to win.”

By the end of the day on Monday, all that was left to say was, “Consider it done.”

The top-seeded Indiana-based Canes Midwest held a 3-0 lead after three innings of play, added three more runs in the later innings and allowed that stand on their way to a 6-2 win over the No. 8 29ers Baseball 2024 Black out of Illinois in the championship finale. The Canes swept through the tournament field with an 8-0-0 record; the 29ers bowed out at 6-2-0.

The Canes Midwest scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the second with the help of two singles, two walks and two stolen bases. Casen Murphy led off the frame with a single, stole second and moved to third on a fielder’s choice groundout. Christian Klug walked and when he stole second, Murphy scored the game’s first run on the throw to second; Noah Coy then came through with an RBI single.

They added a single run in the third after Jack Brown led off with a double and eventually came around to score when Murphy chased him home with a fielder’s choice groundout. The early lead provided a boost.

“When you get deeper into games you’re going to want that lead and want that run support,” Canes Midwest do-everything type of guy Hogan Denny said postgame. “Plus, it will make our pitcher way more comfortable...and the comfort level when you get that lead just helps so much.”

The pitcher who received that dose of comfort was none other than the aforementioned Casen Murphy, a 2024 left-hander/first baseman who allowed one run on four hits with nine strikeouts and two walks in his six innings of work.

He never seemed rattled, even when the 29ers got to him for a run in the top of the fourth. The tally came on the strength of a leadoff single from Dylan Phelps and an RBI fielder’s choice groundout from Reece Duncan.

“I was going to try to go out there and throw strikes, play my game and do what I normally do and throw the best game I could to the best of my abilities,” said Murphy, who helped himself out with a single, an RBI and a run scored. “It makes it a little harder [to hit] when I’m on the mound but I pride myself on hitting the ball hard and getting on base.”

The Canes Midwest stayed on track by adding a single run in the bottom of the fourth on the strength of a leadoff double from JT Stiner and yet another RBI fielder’s choice groundout, this one from Noah Coy. They finished their scoring with two more in the sixth thanks to a leadoff double from Jobe Smith, a two-out single from Stiner and a two-out triple to left field from Tyler Inge.

The 29ers Baseball 2024 Black was able to push across a final run in the top of the seventh with an RBI double from Dawson Peterson.

“Coming out early and getting runs is important; it puts the pressure on the other team and I kind of felt like that’s what we did,” Coach Stiner said, “but I was actually a little upset that I felt like we got complacent. I think the energy of the other team, the energy of our guys after playing three games today was a little low so it was good to come out in the early part of the game and score some runs...and then hold on for the victory.”

Hogan Denny, a 2024 top-1000 catcher/infielder/right-hander, was terrific throughout the event and was named the MV Player. He finished 9-for-21 (.429) and was an extra-base machine with four doubles, a triple and two home runs; he had 12 RBI, scored eight runs and posted a .520 OBP.

“Coming down here was a very fun experience as a team,” Denny said. “Just hanging out as a team in the hotel was a great time, and then coming over here and winning all of our games meant a lot. And this championship, just finishing the weekend off on such a high note means a lot to our team.”

Casen Murphy had pitched a 1-2-3 inning of relief – with three punchouts – earlier in the tournament and finished with a line of 7 innings pitched, 1 earned run, 4 hits, 12 strikeouts and 2 walks, and was named the MV-Pitcher. And, just for good measure, he also went 7-for-18 (.389) at the plate, with a double, a triple, nine RBI, five runs and a .542 OBP.

“This team is really fun to play with, especially when we’re firing on all cylinders [when] we’re hitting good, pitching good,” said Murphy, who was playing in his first career PG event. “It was a fun weekend and we just need to come out...and keep playing the same way.”

Concluded Rick Stiner: “I thought as a team we did a great job with pitching and fielding the ball,” Stiner said. “Pitching and defense is the name of the game and that’s what wins championships.”


Late rally lifts GRB Rays Green to WWBA 16u North championship

It’s a beautiful thing indeed when the bottom tier of a team’s batting order can work in harmony with the top of the order to produce hits, runs and ultimately a much sought-after victory. Especially, perhaps, in the next-to-last inning of PG WWBA tournament championship game.

The Nos. 8 through 10 hitters for the GRB Rays Green teamed nicely with their counterparts at the top of the order to produce four runs on five hits all with two-out in the bottom of the sixth and the Rays Green outlasted the determined Pro Players Canes Green, 7-3, to take home the title at the PG WWBA 16u North Championship. The game was knotted at 3 before the four-run outburst.

The victory in the championship game completed a dominant 8-0-0 four-day run for the No. 1-seeded Rays Green, who outscored their eight opponents by a combined score of 69-15 en route to yet another Prospect Meadows championship for the Wisconsin-based GRB organization. The mean Green rapped-out 10 hits in the championship game victory, just about par for the course all weekend.

“Every single game it seemed like there were multiple people just hitting the ball,” Rays Green tournament MV-Player Caleb Karll said postgame. “They were squaring-it up, hitting the ball hard and we all played really well. Everybody had at least one great game.”

There were only 11 players present for the championship team photo at game’s end and the Rays Green played the entire tournament with limited player availability. The high school state playoffs are still running back home in Wisconsin so all of the very successful GRB teams that were in attendance here this weekend were playing a little short-handed.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rays Green head coach Cooper Stewart said. “Competitors compete all the time and it’s just a matter of being able to lock-in every single play and then get to the next one. We did a real good job of that this weekend.”

The title tilt was a ballgame that was all tied-up at 3 heading into the bottom of the sixth Monday afternoon, right at about the time the shadows were starting to get a little longer. And after the first two batters in the bottom of the sixth went down with ground ball outs to the Pro Player shortstop there wasn’t much reason for Rays’ fans to believe anything magical would happen at that point – especially with the bottom of the order on deck.

Oh, ye of little faith. No. 8 hitter Braden Smith got the ball rolling with his second single of the game and got ready for the fireworks to uncork. No. 9 hitter Mason Armstrong stroked an RBI double, the first of three straight run-scoring two-baggers with No. 10 batter Logan Frank and leadoff man Justin Gorski following suit; after a walk, Karll delivered an RBI single to complete the scoring.

Smith finished with the two singles and two RBI; Gorshi a single, double, an RBI and two runs; Karll with two singles and a ribbie.

“It just all comes back to the way they just grind everything out – down, up it just doesn’t matter,” Stewart said of the comeback. “That last inning when we kind of separated ourselves we had three good two-strike at-bats back-to-back-to back and we kind of broke through at that point in time...It was a good overall effort from everybody.”

Meanwhile, there was the matter of keeping the No. 7-seeded Illinois-based Pro Player Canes (6-2-0) bats in check, and that had not been an easy task considering their nine-hit attack. Brayden Bakes finished with a double, a triple an RBI and a run scored; Sheppard Graf singled and doubled and drove in a run; Austin Leonard delivered an RBI.

And all that success came off of 2023 right-hander Maxwell Kalk, who is in reality a catcher by trade. He was certainly gutty by any measure, working all seven innings and allowing the three runs on nine hits with one strikeout and two walks. In many ways, the performance bordered on masterful.

“Max Kalk, he’s not generally a pitcher, but he was throwing strikes and letting the defense do its job; that was the biggest thing for us,” Stewart said.

“We ran out of pitchers so we had our catcher throwing out there off the mound,” Karll said through a laugh. “But he threw strikes, did the job and limited their runs and were able to hit. We got the bat on the ball, got a couple of clutch base hits [early] and then got a couple of insurance runs in the [sixth]. That was amazing; that was fun.”

Karll, a 2023 outfielder, was a run-producing factory in the eight games, hitting 9-for-23 (.391) with a double, two triples, two home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs scored; he also stole three bases. Those numbers were certainly good enough to warrant the MVP recognition.

Pro Player Canes Green 2023 left-hander Lucas Foley was as dominating on the mound as Karll was at the plate and earned MV-Pitcher recognition. Foley made four appearances in Pro Player’s eight games, working 10 two-hit shutout innings, striking out 16 and walking just one.

But as the sun set on Prospect Meadows Monday, the WWBA 16u North Championship title trophy and banner belonged to the GRB Rays Green.

“It’s a real good experience, especially going forward development-wise for college baseball and learning how to win,” Stewart said. “It’s a very, very good skill for guys to learn how to win, and that’s just a matter of approach and process over the results at the end of the game.”

 
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 5/31/2026

Blalock's Consistency Shines in Hoover
Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
Blalock’s Consistency Continues to Shine at Hoover Invitational While many players his age are still learning how to handle the spotlight, Tristan Blalock has already become accustomed to it. The Madison, Alabama Native entered the 2026 Perfect Game Hoover Invitational as one of the most highly regarded players in the country, carrying a national ranking of No. 23 overall in the 2029 class and the distinction of being Alabama’s top ranked player. Yet despite the attention and high approval, Blalock’s approach remains remarkably simple.  “Just 100% effort,” Blalock said when asked about his defensive mindset. “Going out there every single time and giving it my all, do or die, no matter what the play is.” That mentality was on display Saturday as Blalock helped lead East Coast Sox Prime to a 14-0 victory over EBC 15U-Bell. Although the...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/30/2026

WWBA South Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Jarrett Pierson (2027, Spring, Texas) was sharp in his start on Thursday. Went four hitless, surrendering just one walk, and punching out seven. Fastball was consistently 81-83 with a low approach angle to let him beat up the top of the zone with carry. Really strong feel for both the slider and change. Filled up the zone with a 70% strike rate. Closed, downhill delivery made it a really tough look for opposing hitters. Substantial amount of room in the frame for him to tick up in the future. One of the more fun watches to start the tournament. Landon Martinez (2027, Spring, Texas) has put on a display to start the tournament. 3-7 at this point, with a double, a walk off home run, and driving in two. The Stanford commit is one of the most tooled up players in this event, and he has been putting each of those on display throughout the opening two days. Super fluid mover, a high level...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/30/2026

Southeast Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
And here’s a look at the top of the class strength from ‘27 grad Sullivan Reed, this one going halfway up the trees to dead center…. @HailStateBB Commit #SEElite https://t.co/YvdrbS3bcL pic.twitter.com/qBzoOapJzJ — Perfect Game Georgia (@PG_Georgia) May 29, 2026 Sullivan Reed (2027, Meridian, Miss.) has put together some monster swings in his first PG event of the summer, just picking up right where he left off last summer. The ultra-physical 6-foot-2, 220-pound corner infielder has top of the scale power and showed it on Friday afternoon, going into the trees above the batter’s eye on field one. He’s as good of a power bat as you’ll find across the country that continues to put up gaudy numbers. The Mississippi State commit is currently hitting .667 across two games with a pair of doubles as well.  ‘27 C CJ Wall (GA) just absolutely...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/29/2026

AZ Summer Kick Off Set to Begin

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
As another competitive weekend approaches on the Perfect Game circuit, teams from across the region are preparing to battle for championships, rankings, and momentum heading into the summer season. The event is expected to bring a high level of talent, energy, and competitive baseball all weekend long. Coming into the tournament, Biscuits Elite holds a record of 17-7-0 and has been showing strength in their hitting and their bullpen. The team will look to carry momentum from their recent performances into bracket play as they compete for a championship run. Whether it’s strong pitching depth, explosive offense, or tough defensive plays, several teams in the field can make noise this weekend. Matchups against teams like Biscuits Elite and Canes AZ 2027 could end up being some of the most competitive games of the tournament. Players to watch for this tournament include JJ Utash, a...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/28/2026

14u Windy City Classic Scout Notes

Donovan May
Article Image
’30 Kingston Dumes (IN) barrels a line drive up the middle. Strong, physical athlete with bat speed. Does a nice job staying in the lower half with quick hands through contact. PG High Follow. #ILMemorial @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/LfQ6T9WqZn — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) May 23, 2026 Kingston Dumes (2030, Indianapolis, Ind.) put together a solid performance for Filthy Ellis this past Memorial Day weekend. The physical 6-foot-3, 225-pound right-handed prospect displayed present bat speed with strength in the swing, finishing with a .500 average across three games while collecting three hits and driving in two runs. He also showed intriguing upside on the mound, running his fastball up to 79 mph while mixing in a slider and changeup. Currently a PG High Follow and the No. 2-ranked player in Indiana, Dumes remains one of the more projectable long-term profiles in...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/28/2026

BCS Qualifier Event Preview

Alyssa Golden
Article Image
The sixth annual Perfect Game BCS Qualifier will bring nearly 60 teams from across the region to Fort Myers, Florida from May 29-June 1 as programs battle for championship titles and coveted bids to the BCS National Championship tournament.   Shortstop Jayden Portes will be the highest-ranked player in attendance. Ranked No. 45 nationally, Portes enters the event as one of the premier young prospects to watch and will look to continue building on an already impressive resume. The Fort Myers native will compete in his hometown in the 14U division as a member of CBU North Nation Alpha. At 5-foot-8, 145 pounds, Portes is the No. 1 ranked shortstop in Florida and the No. 7 player overall in the state.   Portes brings an impressive blend of athleticism and offensive ability, highlighted by an 86 mph exit velocity and 78 mph infield velocity. This season, he has posted a...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/28/2026

Hoover Invitational Set to Kick Off

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
The 4th annual Hoover Invitational is set to bring another loaded weekend of travel baseball to Hoover, Alabama, as more than 120 teams from across the Southeast will compete from May 28 through June 1. With talent spread across all four age divisions, the event continues to establish itself as one of the premier early-summer tournaments in the region. The tournament will feature 22 teams in the 14U division, 36 teams in 15U, 34 teams in 16U, and 28 teams in 17U play. Several nationally ranked prospects and highly competitive organizations are expected to make noise throughout the weekend, with many players already drawing significant attention on the recruiting and showcase circuits. The 14U division enters its second year as part of the event and will feature several intriguing young prospects. Birmingham Stars infielder Caden Kappler headlines the group as the No. 110 ranked player...
Read More
High School | General | 5/28/2026

Ohio Valley High School Notebook

Jordan Gates
Article Image
‘27 LHP Max Phillips (@TrinityHSBBall) settled in after a busy 1st frame. FB lived 87-89/90 & flashed 91 (3x) during his 4 innings. Sweeper @ 76-79 ~2400 rpm was a constant & flipped for Ks. CH (82-84) missed a lot of bats. Immense two-way upside for the top ranked player in the… pic.twitter.com/Vly2ebwxTU — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) May 15, 2026 Max Phillips, 2027, LHP/OF, Trinity (KY) checks in as the number one player in the Kentucky class in the most recent update. It’s easy to see why as he has arguably the highest ceiling in the class, both on the mound and as a bat. In my look, a few backs, Phillips got the start on the mound during his team’s last regular season game. The Wake Forest commit in four innings, saw his FB up to 91 a handful of times, while living 87-89 for the majority. The changeup sat in the low 80s while he...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/28/2026

PG SE Elite Championship Preview

Will Dembo
Article Image
More than 100 of the Southeast’s top teams across the 13u-18u age groups will travel to East Cobb this weekend with hopes of showcasing their talents and competing for a championship in the PG Southeast Elite Championship. This premier event will get underway on Thursday, April 28th with each division battling through bracket play before eventually crowning a champion on Monday, June 1st. 13u will host 17 teams including two nationally ranked squads in a silver and gold bracket setting for the major draw. Amongst the notable clubs are the East Cobb Astros who enter the weekend ranked No. 8 in the country as well as the West Boca Panthers White (No. 53) who will be traveling from Boca Raton, Florida in hopes of winning their second Perfect Game tournament in a row. The 14u division is loaded with talented rosters as seven of the 28 teams are in the top 100 rankings for their age,...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 5/28/2026

ZT Doubles Up at Best of the Best

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
ZT Run-Rules for First-Ever 14u Best of the Best Championship The 14U ZT National Prospects sealed their title as the Best of the Best in a run-rule, 10-2 victory over East Cobb Astros 14U. The championship game was played on the A-Quad of Boombah Sports Complex in Sanford, Florida. After a long, hot weekend, there was some relieving cloud coverage and soft breezes as family members cheered on their kids for the final game of the tournament. East Cobb struck first, able to come in off a wild pitch. Despite that miscue, ZT showed its defensive strength and fluidity right away with Tucker Richardson making smooth plays at shortstop. In the bottom of the first, Bryant Ju gave a needed jumpstart to ZT’s offense by blasting a 2-run triple to give his team the lead. “I was just looking for my pitch and I got behind in the count 1-2,” Ju explained. “I was jumping on the...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.